Leukotriene D4-induced adhesion of Caco-2 cells is mediated by prostaglandin E2 and upregulation of alpha2beta1-integrin.

Cell-cell and extracellular matrix adhesions play important roles in the progression of cancer. We investigated the involvement of the inflammatory mediator leukotriene D4 (LTD4) in the regulation of cell-matrix adhesion of colon cancer (Caco-2) cells. We observed that LTD4 acted via its CysLT1 receptor in these cells to induce increased adhesion to collagen I. LTD4 also enhanced the activation and expression of alpha2beta1-integrins on the cell surface, which we found to be responsible for mediating the increased adhesion to collagen I. LTD4 simultaneously augmented expression of the prostaglandin-generating enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and increased prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in Caco-2 cells. The adhesive capacity of the Caco-2 cells was reduced by specific inhibition of COX-2 and was subsequently restored by PGE2, but not by LTD4. A selective PGE2 receptor antagonist abolished the increased adhesion and the augmented alpha2beta1-integrin expression induced by both PGE2 and LTD4. Summarizing, the inflammatory mediator LTD4 regulates the adhesive properties and migration of the Caco-2 cell line by upregulating COX-2 and stimulating PGE2-induced expression of alpha2beta1-integrins. This suggests that inflammatory mediators such as LTD4 can be involved in the dissemination and survival of colon cancer cells.